12 & 13: New York City
Thursday-Friday, July 24 & 25
We set aside two days to see the sights of New York City. I recalled memorizing maps and taking fellow college buddies around the City in the '60s on special holidays. After a little refresher, I made a plan for us to tour some favorite places. The RV park was a perfect starting point.
Fearlessly, I welcomed the family aboard our new Saturn and drove through the Lincoln tunnel into Manhattan where I raced with the taxis on 34th Street to Fifth Avenue. No one in their right mind drives in the City. Surprisingly, it was easy to find a parking spot near the Empire State Building. The view from the top was a fantastic introduction to the Manhattan skyline.
For the next two days we raced, parked, walked, and toured most of what was on the list:
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
We boarded the ferry to Ellis Island at Battery Park:
Soon we could see the New York City Skyline and the Twin Towers.
We managed to snap a picture of each of us with the Statue of Liberty behind us.
We disembarked at Ellis Island we viewed the IMAX movie, Across the Sea, the story of a Russian immigrant arriving at Ellis Island searching for his family. It was a great overview of the history of Ellis Island with spectacular views of Manhattan and the surroundings.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Times Square
New York Public Library
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Trinity Church and Wall Street
Twin Towers
Our last dinner in New York City was at TGI Friday's across the street from the Twin Towers. We had seen the skyline from the Empire State Building, so we decided not to spend the time and money to see it again from the top of the Twin Towers. We didn't realize that in about four years the Towers would be gone. They didn't exist when I graduated from college and flew from New York to California, so I hadn't seen them until we visited New York in 1997 (they were completed in 1973). We enjoyed our dinner at TGI Fridays oblivious of the the tragedy to come. Our prayers go out to the survivors of that tragic 9/11 day.
Next: New York City to Plymouth Massachusetts